Thutmose III was the first-born son of Thutmose II.
His mother was called Iset or Isis.
In ancient Egypt, it was ok for the Pharaoh to have more than one wife.
Thutmose’s dad was married to Hatshepsut and Iset.
Hatshepsut was known to Thutmose III as his step-mum or aunt because she wasn’t his real mum.
Not yet King Thutmose
When Thutmose III was about 2 or 3 years old, his dad died.
Thutmose III was now supposed to be the next Pharaoh.
Thutmose was crowned as the new Pharaoh, but because he was very young, it was agreed that Hatshepsut would act as regent.
This meant that Hatshepsut would rule Egypt until Thutmose was old enough to be Pharaoh on his own. Hatshepsut became very strong when she was Pharaoh and did not let Thutmose III be Pharaoh when he grew up.
He had to wait until Hatshepsut died before he was crowned. Thutmose III was the Pharaoh of Egypt for about 54 years.
Thutmose III was famous for being a great warrior and soldier. When he was growing up, Thutmose III joined the Egyptian army.
By being in the army, Thutmose was learning how to be a good Pharaoh. He was taught how to be a good fighter and a good leader.
He knew that he would need these skills for when he was older and a great Pharaoh.
The Great Thutmose
Once he was crowned Pharaoh, the rivals of Egypt wanted to fight him to see how strong the new king was.
Thutmose III took the rivals by surprise by marching his army over a mountain. Thutmose was a very smart and brave soldier who knew how to make sure his army won the fight.
His army beat the rivals, and they became friends with him again. Thutmose was now the leader of a mighty and strong army.
During the time that Thutmose was Pharaoh, he fought 17 battles. When he won a fight, Thutmose gained new land and made Egypt bigger and stronger.
Thutmose took over about 350 cities. Each of the cities had hundreds of people living in them, and Thutmose now ruled them.
Thutmose was kind to these new people and treated them very fairly.
Thutmose III liked to build lots of temples to show people how great he was. It is believed that he had over 50 new temples built.
Pharaohs believed in lots of different gods, and temples were built as presents or gifts to the gods.
Thutmose also had lots of statues and pillars built because he liked how they looked. Thutmose did not like Hatshepsut because she had made him wait to be Pharaoh.
After she had died, he had lots of her temples and statutes taken down and broken. He tried to make people forget about her.
Thutmose Facts for Kids
- Thutmose means ‘Thoth is born’. Thoth was a mighty God who was believed to look after the whole world.
- Thutmose can also be spelt as Thutmosis or Thuthmosis.
- There are no records that Thutmose ever lost any of his battles
- Thutmose had over nine children with his many wives.
- When Thutmose III died, he was buried in a great tomb in the Valley of the Kings with his relatives.
- Thutmose III was the Pharaoh for about 54 years, but this also includes the years that his step-mum, Hatshepsut was Pharaoh as well.
- The people of Egypt said that Thutmose was very brave when he was fighting.
- Thutmose made Egypt a strong country.
- Thutmose loved art and pretty glass
- If Hatshepsut hadn’t been Thutmose’s regent, then he would have been the youngest Pharaoh ever!
What did you learn?
How old was Thutmose when his dad died?
2 or 3 years old
How many battles did Thutmose fight?
17
How many battles did Thutmose lose?
0 or none
Was Thutmose called the Great Warrior or the Great Dancer?
Great Warrior
How long was Thutmose Pharaoh for?
54 years
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